Monday, June 09, 2014

13 unlucky for some

Anyone else notice that the election campaign has already begun? It started at some point between Hone Harawira of the Mana movement signing an alliance agreement with Vikram Kumar for the Internet Party on 27 May, and when Laila Harre was announced as leader of the Internet Party a few days later.

This was the end of the last lunar month of the Maori calendar, but because the next moon had risen before the Matariki stars were again visible the beginning of the new year will be the moon after that. This is the intercalated month between years - an in between time. It is called Te Tahi o Pipiri, meaning the first of the first month (Pipiri) rather than the last of the last month...but the new year - Te Tau Hou - is not until Pipiri. To my understanding the intercalary month is a chance to convene and wananga in the 'spare' time every two or three years, falling as it does in autumn when it is seasonally convenient to meet without the pressure of agricultural considerations.

It was the reaction of National and the right that defined the moment, when they went into attack mode - the first to blink, to show their fear. David Farrar, for example, uses his twitter to react defensively to issues as they arise, to discredit and rebuke, rather than using it to push National policy or putting up cat photos. So it was fascinating when Farrar went in overdrive over Harre, but more so about the money. The only time Farrar goes green is with envy!

The right are apoplectic in a rage-dance hypocritcial that someone else has found their way into the pockets of a rich white man and that horror of all horrors it's a brown hand! One of their paragons of entrepeneurship and pirate prince of tech-geek uberdom is going to give his millions to a party of Maori and the left. This has the right fuming like a stuffed diesel. The Lusk/Slater takeover failed for the right, Bradbury won for the left - that is why the pain is so acute, the bitterness so feral in the media. The right lost a $4 million arm wrestle and they are super pissy about it. And then there's John Banks.

The open and shut electoral donation case (a surprise to the utterly corrupt political class as evidenced by Boag and Prebble) is the private prosecution's finest hour (even if it was the Crown who was forced to take on the trial). Boag was on the Team Banksy mayoralty campaign that ended in disaster and she was present and in command at National's all-time disastrous 2002 campaign - so I do sincerely hope she is fully involved in many more campaigns for C&R and National. Her and Labour's Mike Williams are constantly on the commentators rounds in the media despite them both being maladroit in the arts of corrupt practice they show such devotion toward.

I feel slightly sad for Banks even though I can't stand the man. He certainly deserves a hefty sentence seeing how much hate he's dished out over his career, if not for maintaining a series of gratuitous fictions to distance himself from Kim Dotcom. Pity then the judge's kid gloves have already saved him from a slap. Act is down to zero MPs, losing its already slim parliamentary resources in the process. This meltdown is legendary.

John Banks will resign on Friday: Friday the 13th, a full moon of the 13th month.

I have now received from the Commissioner of Police the file of papers relating to your complaint for my independent review.

I note from it that the Police declined to lay charges of electoral fraud against one John Archibald Banks.

I also note that a Graham McCready subsequently brought a private prosecution against Mr Banks that resulted in him being found guilty of one charge of electoral fraud.

The issue here relates to the discretion enjoyed by the Commissioner of Police or his officers, in this case the Police in laying charges. The Police have the discretionary right not to lay charges. This discretionary right was clearly exercised in this case and it is not an issue I am able, or would wish, to take up with the Commissioner.

I am therefore unable to take this matter further but I thank you for bringing it to my attention.